TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present invention relates to an acoustic wave type electric cleaning care appliance
with a pressure alarm device, and also to a pressure alarm device for the acoustic
wave type electric cleaning care appliance.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Classified by movement mode of a head assembly, existing electric cleaning appliances,
such as electric toothbrushes, may usually be divided into three categories, that
is, the cleaning element and the cleaning element carrier on the head assembly make
reciprocating linear motion (including swinging up and down or swinging left and right);
the cleaning element and the cleaning element carrier on the head assembly make reciprocating
rotation motion; and the entire head assembly makes reciprocating rotation motion
(referred to as acoustic wave type).
[0003] In an acoustic wave type electric cleaning care appliance (hereinafter referred to
as cleaning care appliance), a resonance oscillation drive system is often used to
drive the cleaning element to make rotary motion, so as to operate at a desired high
efficiency. As described in the applicant's patent application
PCT/CN2015/071696, the cleaning care appliance comprises a handle with a handle housing, inside which
are mounted a power supply portion for supplying power to respective portions of the
cleaning care appliance, a control portion for controlling various operation modes
of the cleaning care appliance and turning on or off the cleaning care appliance,
a trigger portion for turning on or off the operation of the cleaning care appliance
and a driver for converting input electric energy into mechanical energy output. The
driver comprises a transducer, a drive coil, and a drive coil iron core provided in
the drive coil. When an alternating current i flows through the drive coil, the permanent
magnets distributed on the transducer are subjected to a reaction force of the electromagnetic
force to drive the transducer to make a reciprocating rotary motion at the frequency
of the alternating current, thereby driving the cleaning element carrier fit on the
drive shaft of the transducer as well as the cleaning element distributed on the cleaning
element carrier to make reciprocating rotary motion, to achieve the cleaning movement.
In the above structure, the transducer, the cleaning element carrier and the cleaning
element have natural frequency fn, and the current in the drive coil has its driving
frequency f
0. The fn is very close to the f
0. Generally, if the condition 0.85f
0 < fn < 1.05f
0 is satisfied, the electromagnetic force between the drive coil and the transducer
could keep the transducer, the cleaning element carrier and the cleaning element in
a resonance oscillation state, thereby achieving a high mechanical efficiency. Moreover,
the transducer comprises at least two transducer elastic members (the left side transducer
elastic member and the right side transducer elastic member). The bending strain of
the elastic member material is utilized to form a transducer having a natural vibration
frequency fn. When the natural frequency fn of the transducer is is very close to
the drive frequency f
0, the electromagnetic force generated by the driving coil in the handle shell and
acting on the transducer causes the transducer to be in a resonance oscillation state.
When the natural frequency fn of the transducer is equal to the drive frequency f
0, the electromagnetic force generated by the drive coil in the handle housing and
acting on the transducer causes the transducer to be in a resonant vibration state.
[0004] In the applicant's invention patent with the authorization announcement number
CN 106618776 B, entitled "Electric Cleaning Care Appliance, Pressure Alarming Method and Apparatus
for the Appliance", the pressure alarming device disclosed comprises a detection,
collection and alarming circuit and an alarming component, the circuit comprising
a power supply, a programmable microchip processor IC and an H-bridge circuit formed
of transistors for connecting the power supply and the drive coil. f
0max-n is stored in the program of the microchip processor IC. f
0max-n corresponding to a selected n value is used as the fixed frequency fo of the current
flowing through the drive coil, wherein -0.3 (f
0max-f
0min)≤n≤0.85(f
0max-f
0min), f
0max is the frequency of the current of the drive coil corresponding to the maximum value
of the average voltage on the current-detecting resistor, and f
0min is the frequency of the current of the drive coil corresponding to the minimum value
of the average voltage on the current-detecting resistor. The average value U
Ls of the power supply voltage and the average voltage U
LR25 on the current-detecting resistor R
25 at the alarm load are also pre-stored in the program of the microchip processor IC.
The programmable microchip processor IC outputs square waves at a fixed frequency
fo to drive the H-bridge circuit. If (U
Ns/U
Ls)×U
NR25 > U
LR25, alarm signal is not output or the current pressure alarm signal output is stopped;
if (U
Ns/U
Ls)×U
NR25≤U
LR25, a pressure alarm signal is output and an alarm is sent. In the patent, by reasonably
adjusting the angle between the longitudinal axis of the cleaning element and the
normal direction of the plane of the transducer elastic member, the natural frequency
f
n of the transducer is increased as the force applied by the load onto the cleaning
element increases, and the rate at which the transducer natural frequency f
n changes as the force applied by the load onto the cleaning element increases can
be controlled. Once the fixed drive frequency is set, the drive frequency does not
change during operation of the cleaning care appliance, so that the vibration amplitude
of the cleaning element goes from small to large, and at the same time, the current
value of drive coil monotonously decreases from high to low, whereby the personal
electric cleaning care appliance has higher mechanical efficiency, smaller working
current, less energy consumption, maximum cleaning element amplitude and the best
cleaning effect at a reasonable load, and the amplitude can be reduced after the load
exceeds a reasonable value to protect the gum. Furthermore, the structure is simple
and the cost is low.
[0005] In the applicant's another Chinese invention patent application with the publication
No.
201711125025.4, entitled "Photosensitive Pressure Alarm Device for Electric Cleaning Care Appliances",
the photosensitive pressure alarm device comprises a light sensing part composed of
at least one light source and at least one photosensitive unit, a light reflecting
surface facing the light source and the photosensitive unit, a detection circuit and
an alarm part. The light source and the photosensitive unit are provided on a movable
component movable relative to the handle housing or a stationary component which does
not move relative to the handle housing and on a same side, and the light reflecting
surface is provided on a stationary component or a movable component facing the side
on which the light source and the photosensitive unit are provided and roughly directly
faces the light source and the photosensitive unit. Under the combined action of an
external force F
1 which is applied to the cleaning element and of which the direction is approximately
along or parallel to an axis along the length direction of the cleaning element and
an elastic-member elastic force F
2 which resists the external force F
1 and is generated by an elastic member built into a handle, the light reflecting surface
or the light source and the photosensitive unit provided on the movable component
movable relative to the handle housing move with the movable component, and the incident
angle and the reflection angle of the light emitted by the light source on the light
reflecting surface change, causing that the light receiving area of the photosensitive
unit which can receive the light from the light source changes, and in turn resulting
in change of the electrical performance of the photosensitive unit.
[0006] In the invention patent application with the publication No.
CN 104883997 A, there is disclosed an electric toothbrush with a pressure sensor, comprising: a
system for determining pressure applied against a user's teeth by bristles of the
toothbrush by a direct force measurement; a system for determining pressure applied
against the user's teeth by the bristles of the toothbrush by a dynamic force measurement;
and a processing system responsive to the pressure determined by the direct force
measurement and the dynamic force measurement to adjust the pre-established amount
of pressure indicative of excessive bristle force. In the device, the direct force
or displacement information is provided by the Hall effect sensor device, and the
dynamic load information is also provided by the Hall effect sensor, which is used
to measure the phase shift between the phase of the magnetic field response relative
to the drive signal.
SUMMARY
[0007] The task of the present invention is to provide an acoustic wave type electric cleaning
care appliance with a pressure alarm device, which can greatly improve the detection
accuracy of the load pressure on the cleaning element without increasing the volume
and cost of the cleaning care appliance, thereby improving the sensitivity of the
pressure alarm device.
[0008] According to the present invention, the provided acoustic wave type electric cleaning
care appliance comprises a handle with a handle housing and a handle rear housing.
A power supply, a circuit board, a transducer, a drive coil assembly, and a cleaning
assembly including a cleaning element carrier and a cleaning element are installed
in the handle housing . The transducer includes a drive shaft inserted into the cleaning
assembly, left and right transducer brackets, at least two transducer permanent magnets
respectively arranged on left and right sides of a longitudinal axis L
1 of the drive shaft, respective permanent magnet brackets, left and right side transducer
transmission arms fixedly connected to the permanent magnet brackets and the drive
shaft, at least two transducer elastic members respectively arranged on the left and
right sides of the longitudinal axis L
1 of the drive shaft, and at least one fixing member of the transducer elastic member
fastened to the left and right transducer brackets. One end of the transducer elastic
member is fixedly connected to the fixing member of the transducer elastic member
respectively, and the other end of the transducer elastic member is fixedly connected
to the corresponding transducer transmission arms respectively. The left and right
sides permanent magnets are independent from each other. Polarity of a magnetic pole
of one side permanent magnet in a direction toward the drive coil is opposite to the
polarity of the magnetic pole of the other side permanent magnet in the direction
toward the drive coil. The left and right sides permanent magnets are movable relative
to the fixing member of the transducer elastic members. A upper drive shaft bearing
and a lower drive shaft bearing are respectively fixed on the drive shaft. The upper
drive shaft bearing is fixed in the transducer brackets by a fixed surface of the
upper drive shaft bearing located on the left and right transducer brackets and cannot
move relative to the fixed surface of the upper drive shaft bearing. The lower drive
shaft bearing and a upper fixed surface of the lower drive shaft bearing and a lower
fixed surface of the lower drive shaft bearing are associated with each other. The
lower drive shaft bearing is fixed in the transducer brackets by the upper fixed surface
of the lower drive shaft bearing on the left and right transducer brackets, such that
the lower drive shaft bearing can perform relative movement relative to the upper
fixed surface of the lower drive shaft bearing or the lower fixed surface of the lower
drive shaft bearing to realize separation or contact between the lower drive shaft
bearing and the upper fixed surface of the lower drive shaft bearing on the left and
right transducer brackets. The cleaning care appliance further includes a photosensitive
pressure alarm device, comprising a lever installed on the left and right transducer
brackets, a light-emitting element disposed on the circuit board and adjacent to the
lever, and a photosensitive element disposed on the circuit board and adjacent to
the lever. The lever is provided with a lever shielding surface and/or a light-shielding
protrusion in a direction toward the circuit board. Change in the gap between the
lever shielding surface and/or the light-shielding protrusion and the photosensitive
element causes light energy emitted by the light-emitting element and reaching the
photosensitive element through the gap to be changed. Change in corresponding electrical
performance parameters of the photosensitive element is detected so as to acquire
a load pressure F
1 applied on the cleaning element.
[0009] In the present invention, the upper fixed surface of the lower drive shaft bearing
and the lower fixed surface of the lower drive shaft bearing may restrain the lower
drive shaft bearing to only perform limited rotation around a transverse rotation
axis L
4 of the drive shaft, that is, the lower drive shaft bearing cannot contact the upper
fixed surface of the lower drive shaft bearing and the lower fixed surface of the
lower drive shaft bearing at the same time. When the lower drive shaft bearing contacts
the lower fixed surface of the lower drive shaft bearing, the lower drive shaft bearing
and the drive shaft rotate counterclockwise around the transverse rotation axis L
4 of the drive shaft to reach a maximum angle. The maximum angle is a limited rotation
angle of the drive shaft. The limited rotation angle of the drive shaft may be 0-2
degrees. Preferably, the limited rotation angle is 0-1.5 degrees, and more preferably,
the limited rotation angle is 1 degree.
[0010] In one embodiment, the left and right sides of the lever are respectively provided
with left and right lever rotation shafts. The lever is provided with a protrusion
of a short lever arm along a direction away from a lever rotation axis L
3 and close to the cleaning assembly, and in an orientation toward the lower drive
shaft bearing. The lower drive shaft bearing supports the protrusion of the short
lever arm. A protrusion of a long lever arm is provided along a direction away from
the lever rotation axis L
3 and close to the handle rear housing, and in an orientation toward the lower drive
shaft bearing. A spring surrounds the outside of the protrusion of the long lever
arm. A bottom plane of the protrusion of the long lever arm supports one end of the
spring. A bottom plane of spring bearing holes disposed on the left and right transducer
brackets supports the other end of the spring.
[0011] Preferably, the left and right lever rotation shafts have a same lever rotation axis
L
3.
[0012] Another task of the present invention is to provide a pressure alarm device for the
acoustic wave type electric cleaning care appliance. The electric cleaning care appliance
comprises a handle with a handle housing and a handle rear housing. A power supply,
a circuit board, a transducer, a drive coil assembly, and a cleaning assembly including
a cleaning element carrier and a cleaning element are installed in the handle housing.
The transducer includes a drive shaft inserted into the cleaning assembly, and left
and right transducer brackets. A upper drive shaft bearing and a lower drive shaft
bearing are respectively fixed on the drive shaft. The pressure alarm device includes
a lever installed on the left and right transducer brackets, a light-emitting element
disposed on the circuit board and adjacent to the lever, and a photosensitive element
disposed on the circuit board and adjacent to the lever. The lever is provided with
a lever shielding surface and/or a light-shielding protrusion in a direction toward
the circuit board. The left and right sides of the lever are respectively provided
with the left and right lever rotation shafts. The lever is provided with a protrusion
of a short lever arm along a direction away from a lever rotation axis L
3 and close to the cleaning assembly, and in an orientation toward the lower drive
shaft bearing. The lower drive shaft bearing supports the protrusion of the short
lever arm. A protrusion of a long lever arm is provided along a direction away from
the lever rotation axis L
3 and close to the handle rear housing, and in an orientation toward the lower drive
shaft bearing. A spring is provided around the outside of the protrusion of the long
lever arm. A bottom plane of the protrusion of the long lever arm supports one end
of the spring. A bottom plane of spring bearing holes disposed on the left and right
transducer brackets supports the other end of the spring. Change in the gap between
the lever shielding surface and/or the light-shielding protrusion and the photosensitive
element causes light energy emitted by the light-emitting element and reaching a the
photosensitive element through the gap to be changed. Change in corresponding electrical
performance parameters of the photosensitive element is detected so as to acquire
a load pressure F
1 applied on the cleaning element and realize the pressure alarm.
[0013] Preferably, the long lever arm of the lever has a length of X
2, and the short lever arm has a length of X
1; the ratio of X
2 to X
1 is in the range of 1.5-5. More preferably, the ratio of the X
2 to the X
1 is in the range of 2-4.
[0014] The use of the acoustic wave type electric cleaning care appliance with a pressure
alarm device and the pressure alarm device for the acoustic wave type cleaning care
appliance provided by the present invention can greatly improve the accuracy of detecting
the load pressure applied on the cleaning element without increasing the volume and
cost of the cleaning care appliance, thereby improving the sensitivity of the pressure
alarm device. In addition, in the present invention, the limited rotation angle of
the drive shaft is determined by disposing the upper fixed surface of the lower drive
shaft bearing and the lower fixed surface of the lower drive shaft bearing such that
the elastic member load deformation is effectively controlled, thereby effectively
reducing or eliminating the effect of the elastic member load deformation on the service
life of the transducer.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] The present invention takes an acoustic wave type electric toothbrush (hereinafter
referred to as the electric toothbrush) as an example to explain the cleaning care
appliance.
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the electric toothbrush of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the assembly of the electric toothbrush as shown
in FIG. 1, which shows the assembly relationship between the handle portion and the
head assembly;
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the transducer of the electric toothbrush in FIG.
2;
FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of the combination of the transducer, the drive coil,
the circuit board and the lever of the electric toothbrush in an unloaded state (a
no-load state) of the cleaning element as shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of the combination of the transducer, the drive coil,
the circuit board and the lever of the electric toothbrush in a loaded state (a load
state) of the cleaning element as shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 6 is a partial enlarged schematic diagram of FIG. 4;
FIG. 7 is a partial enlarged schematic diagram of FIG. 5;
FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of the combination of the right transducer bracket,
the lever and the lower drive shaft bearing;
FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of the combination of the right transducer bracket and
the lower drive shaft bearing;
FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of the right transducer bracket;
FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of the lever;
FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of the combination of the lever and the circuit board
when the cleaning element is in a loaded state as shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram of the combination of the lever and the circuit board
when the cleaning element is in an unloaded state as shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram of the combination of the drive shaft and the lower
drive shaft bearing when the drive shaft is in an unloaded state and in a loaded state
respectively;
FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram of the combination of the lever and the circuit board
when the cleaning element is in an unloaded state in another embodiment of the present
invention;
FIG. 16 is a schematic diagram of the combination of the lever and the circuit board
when the cleaning element is in a loaded state in the embodiment as shown in FIG.
15.
EXPLANATION OF MAIN REFERENCE NUMBERALS
[0016]
1 Handle
2 Cleaning assembly
3 Transducer
4 Drive coil assembly
5 Left transducer bracket
6 Left drive coil bracket
7 Right transducer bracket
8 Right drive coil bracket
9 Handle rear housing
10 Battery
11 Circuit board
12 Fixing screw
13 Handle housing
21 Cleaning element
31 Spring
32 Lever
33 Upper drive shaft bearing
34 Lower drive shaft bearing
35 Right transducer permanent magnet
36 Left transducer permanent magnet
37 Drive shaft
38 Transducer elastic member
39 Fixing member of the transducer elastic member
41 Driving coil core
42 Drive coil
71 Lever fixing hole
72 Spring bearing hole
73 Upper fixed surface of the lower drive shaft bearing
74 Protruded through holes
75 Fixed surface of the upper drive shaft bearing
76 Lower fixed surface of the lower drive shaft bearing
77 Bottom plane of the spring bearing holes
111 Photosensitive element
112 Light-emitting element
321 Left lever rotation shaft
322 Right lever rotation shaft
323 Protrusion of the short lever arm
324 Protrusion of the long lever arm
325 Lever shielding surface
326 Bottom plane of the protrusion of the long lever arm
327 Light-shielding protrusion
X1 Length of the short lever arm
X2 Length of the long lever arm
L1 Longitudinal axis of the drive shaft
L'1 Longitudinal axis of the drive shaft when the drive shaft is inclined relative to
the longitudinal axis of the upper drive shaft bearing
L2 Transverse axis of the upper drive shaft bearing that passes through the center point
of the upper drive shaft bearing, which is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis
L1 of the drive shaft and approximately parallel to the longitudinal axis L5 of the cleaning element
L3 Lever rotation axis
L4 Transverse rotation axis of the drive shaft that is perpendicular to the transverse
axis L2 of the upper drive shaft bearing and the longitudinal axis of the drive shaft
L5 Longitudinal axis of the cleaning element
F External force acting on the drive shaft
F1 Load pressure applied to the cleaning element
F2 Load force transmitted to the protrusion of the short lever arm
F3 Spring force on the protrusion of the long lever arm
M1 Rotational moment
M2 Moment of the short lever arm
M3 Moment of the long lever arm
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0017] As mentioned above, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described
in more detail hereinafter with an acoustic wave type electric toothbrush as a typical
example of the acoustic wave type electric cleaning care appliance of the present
invention and in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Although an electric
toothbrush is taken as an example for explanation in the following, the present invention
is not limited thereto. The present invention may also be applicable to the acoustic
wave type electric cleaning care appliances for personal use, such as an acoustic
wave type electric shaver, an acoustic wave type electric cleanser, an acoustic wave
type electric shower, and the like.
[0018] The terms used in this specification are only for the purpose of describing particular
exemplary embodiments rather than limiting.
[0019] The term "and/or" used in this application comprises any one or all combinations
of one or more associated words listed.
[0020] The singular forms "a", "an" and "the" used herein may include plural forms unless
the context clearly indicates otherwise. The words "comprising", "including" and "having"
are broad in scope and specify the presence of specified features, collections, steps,
operations, elements and/or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition
of one or more other features, collections, steps, operations, elements, components,
and/or groups thereof.
[0021] Similar reference signs refer to similar parts throughout the drawings.
[0022] For the sake of clarity, this description uses terms for expressing relative spatial
locations, such as "upper", "lower", "left", "right" and "transverse" to briefly describe
the relationships between one element or feature and another element (s) or feature
(s) as shown in the figures, wherein "upper" and "lower" are relative to the longitudinal
axis of the cleaning element, the end close to the cleaning element being defined
as "upper", and the end opposite to "upper" (i.e., the end far from the cleaning element)
defined as "lower"; the terms "left" and "right" are relative to the longitudinal
axis of the drive shaft, the left side of the longitudinal axis of the drive shaft
in the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the drive shaft when facing
corresponding figures being defined as "left", and the right side thereof defined
as "right"; the term "transverse" refers to the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal
axis of the drive shaft.
[0023] FIGS. 1-14 show an acoustic wave type electric toothbrush as an example of the electric
cleaning care appliance of the present invention. Referring to FIGS. 1-5, the acoustic
wave type electric toothbrush of the present invention comprises a handle with a handle
housing 13, inside which are equipped with a battery 10 for supplying power to various
parts of the toothbrush, a circuit board 11 for controlling the opening or closing
of the toothbrush and various operation modes, a transducer 3 for converting input
electrical energy into mechanical energy output, a drive coil assembly 4, and a cleaning
assembly 2 including a cleaning element carrier and a cleaning element (i.e., bristles)
21 distributed on the cleaning element carrier. The cleaning assembly 2 is detachably
connected to the drive shaft 37 (FIGS. 4, 5). The transducer 3 includes a drive shaft
37 inserted into the cleaning assembly; at least one fixing member 39 (FIG. 3) of
the transducer elastic member fastened to the left and right transducer brackets 5,
7 (FIG. 2); at least two left and right transducer permanent magnets 36, 35 (FIG.
3) respectively arranged on left and right sides relative to the longitudinal axis
L
1 of the drive shaft; respective permanent magnet brackets for fixedly connecting the
left and right transducer permanent magnets 36, 35; left and right side transducer
transmission arms fixedly connected to the permanent magnet brackets and the drive
shaft 37; and at least two left and right transducer elastic members 38 (FIG. 3) respectively
arranged on the left and right sides of the longitudinal axis L
1 of the drive shaft. One end of the left and right side transducer elastic members
38 is fixedly connected to the fixing member 39 of the transducer elastic member respectively,
and the other end of the left and right side transducer elastic members 38 is fixedly
connected to the respective transducer transmission arms respectively. The left and
right side permanent magnets 36, 35 are independent from each other. If the polarity
of the magnetic pole of the left side permanent magnets in the direction toward the
drive coil is S pole or N pole, the polarity of the magnetic pole of the right side
permanent magnets in the direction toward the drive coil is opposite to said polarity
of said magnetic pole of said left side permanent magnets. If the polarity of the
magnetic pole of the right side permanent magnets in the direction toward the drive
coil is S pole or N pole, the polarity of the magnetic pole of the left side permanent
magnets in the direction toward the drive coil is opposite to said polarity of said
magnetic pole of said right side permanent magnets. The left and right side permanent
magnets 36, 35 are movable relative to the fixing member 39 of the transducer elastic
member. When an alternating current at a frequency fo flows through the drive coil
42 (FIG. 4), the left and right transducer permanent magnets 36, 35 rotate reciprocally
around the longitudinal axis L
1 of the drive shaft, and drive the drive shaft 37 to rotate reciprocally around the
longitudinal axis L
1 of the drive shaft. The drive shaft 37 drives the cleaning element 21 on the cleaning
assembly 2 to rotate reciprocally around the longitudinal axis L
1 of the drive shaft.
[0024] As shown in FIGS. 6-10 and 14, a upper drive shaft bearing 33 and a lower drive shaft
bearing 34 are respectively fixed on the drive shaft 37. The upper drive shaft bearing
33 is fixed in the transducer brackets 5, 7 by the fixed surface 75 of the upper drive
shaft bearing located on the left and right transducer brackets 5, 7, and cannot move
relative to the fixed surface 75 of the upper drive shaft bearing. The lower drive
shaft bearing 34, the upper fixed surface 73 of the lower drive shaft bearing, and
the lower fixed surfaces 76 of the lower drive shaft bearing are associated with each
other. The lower drive shaft bearing 34 is fixed in the transducer brackets 5, 7 by
the upper fixed surface 73 of the lower drive shaft bearing located on the left and
right transducer brackets 5, 7, such that the lower drive shaft bearing 34 can perform
relative movement relative to the upper fixed surface 73 of the lower drive shaft
bearing or the lower fixed surface 76 of the lower drive shaft bearing to realize
separation or contact between the lower drive shaft bearing 34 and the upper fixed
surface 73 of the lower drive shaft bearing on the left and right transducer brackets
5, 7.
[0025] A cavity is formed in the upper fixed surface 73 of the lower drive shaft bearing
on the left and right transducer brackets 5, 7. The volume of the cavity is larger
than the volume of the lower drive shaft bearing, so the lower drive shaft bearing
can be accommodated in the cavity. With such a connecting structure, the lower drive
shaft bearing 34 can perform limited movement relative to the upper fixed surface
73 of the lower drive shaft bearing or the lower fixed surface 76 of the lower drive
shaft bearing. Due to the existence of the internal clearance (play) of the bearing,
the drive shaft 37 can be inclined relative to the longitudinal axis of the upper
drive shaft bearing 33, as shown in FIG. 14. When there is no external force F and
the drive shaft 37 is not inclined relative to the longitudinal axis of the upper
drive shaft bearing 33, the longitudinal axis L
1 of the drive shaft 37 coincides with the longitudinal axis of the upper drive shaft
bearing 33; when the drive shaft 37 is inclined relative to the longitudinal axis
of the upper drive shaft bearing 33 under the action of the external force F, the
longitudinal axis L'
1 of the drive shaft 37 is inclined relative to the longitudinal axis of the upper
drive shaft bearing 33, and the included angle between the two axes is α (FIG. 14).
The angle α is the inclination angle of the bearing, and the angle α is usually less
than 2 degrees.
[0026] When a load pressure is applied to the cleaning element 21, a pressure F
1 is applied on the drive shaft 37 and a rotational moment M
1 is generated accordingly (FIG. 7). Because the upper drive shaft bearing 33 is fixed
in the left and right transducer brackets 5, 7 and the drive shaft 37 can be inclined
relative to the longitudinal axis of the upper drive shaft bearing 33, the rotational
moment M
1 on the drive shaft 37 is centered at a point O
1 (FIG. 7), and the point O
1 is the center point of the upper drive shaft bearing 33 located on the longitudinal
axis L
1 of the drive shaft. The drive shaft 37 rotates counterclockwise around the transverse
rotation axis L
4 of the drive shaft (not shown in the figure) under the action of the rotational moment
M
1 with the point O
1 as the base point. As shown in FIG. 7, the lower drive shaft bearing 34 fastened
on the drive shaft 37 also rotates counterclockwise around the transverse rotation
axis L
4 of the drive shaft under the action of the rotational moment M
1 formed by the load pressure F
1 applied on the cleaning element 21, with the point O
1 as the base point. In the present invention, the upper fixed surface 73 of the lower
drive shaft bearing is arranged on the left and right transducer brackets 5, 7. The
lower drive shaft bearing 34 can rotate counterclockwise around the transverse rotation
axis L
4 of the drive shaft to the limited rotation angle of the drive shaft under the action
of the rotational moment M
1, with the point O
1 as the base point. The applicant has obtained through a lot of experiments that the
limited angle is preferably 1.5 degrees, and more preferably 1 degree. In this embodiment,
the limited rotation angle of the drive shaft is selected to be 1 degree, while in
other embodiments, the limited rotation angle may also be any other angle between
0 degree and 2 degrees.
[0027] In the present invention, the lower drive shaft bearing 34 is provided with an upper
fixed surface 73 for limiting the rotation angle of the drive shaft. When the lower
drive shaft bearing 34 rotates counterclockwise around the drive shaft transverse
rotation axis L
4 to the limited rotation angle of the drive shaft under the action of the rotational
moment M
1 with the point O
1 as the base point, the upper fixed surface 73 of the lower drive shaft bearing contacts
the outer surface of the lower drive shaft bearing 34 and restricts the further rotation
of the lower drive shaft bearing 34 .
[0028] As shown in FIGS. 2, 6, 11, a lever 32 is installed on the left and right transducer
brackets 5, 7. The left and right sides of the lever 32 are respectively provided
with a left lever rotation shaft 321 and a right lever rotation shaft 322. The left
and right lever rotation shafts 321, 322 have the same lever rotation axis L
3. The lever 32 is provided with a protrusion 323 of the short lever arm in the direction
away from the lever rotation axis L
3 and close to the cleaning assembly 2, and in the orientation toward the lower drive
shaft bearing 34. The lever 32 is provided with a protrusion 324 of the long lever
arm in the direction away from the lever rotation axis L
3 and close to the handle rear housing 9, and in the orientation toward the lower drive
shaft bearing 34. The length of the arm of force from the force bearing point of the
protrusion 323 of the short lever arm to the lever rotation axis L
3 is the length X
1 of the short lever arm, and the length of the arm of force from the force bearing
point of the protrusion 324 of the long lever arm to the lever rotation axis L
3 is the length X
2 of the long lever arm. A protruded through hole 74 (FIG. 9) is arranged on the right
transducer bracket 7 (FIG. 2), and a protruded through hole is also arranged on the
left transducer bracket 5 (FIG. 2). The protrusion 323 of the short lever arm passes
through the two protruded through holes to contact the lower drive shaft bearing 34,
and the lower drive shaft bearing 34 supports the protrusion 323 of the short lever
arm. The spring 31 (FIG. 4) surrounds the outside of the protrusion 324 of the long
lever arm. The spring 31 can be a cylindrical spring. A bottom plane 326 of the protrusion
of the long lever arm supports one end of the spring 31, and a bottom plane 77 (FIG.
9) of spring bearing holes arranged on the left and right transducer brackets 5, 7
supports the other end of the spring 31. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, when the cleaning
element 21 is in an unloaded state, the spring 31 is in a pre-compressed state, and
the pretightening force of the spring 31 pushes the lever 32 to rotate around the
lever rotation axis L
3, such that the protrusion 323 of the short lever arm is pressed against the upper
drive shaft bearing 33.
[0029] As shown in FIGS. 8, 9, 11, the right lever rotation shaft 322 fits with the lever
fixing hole 71 disposed on the right transducer bracket 7, and the left lever rotation
shaft 321 fits with the lever fixing hole 71 disposed on the left transducer bracket
5. The above two lever fixing holes 71 restrict the lever 32 to only rotate around
the lever rotation axis L
3.
[0030] As shown in FIGS. 11, 13, the lever 32 is provided with a lever shielding surface
325 in the direction toward the circuit board 11. When the cleaning element 21 is
in an unloaded state, the light emitted by the light-emitting element 112 installed
on the circuit board 11 and adjacent to the lever 11 can reach the photosensitive
element 111 through the gap between the lever shielding surface 325 and the photosensitive
element 111 installed on the circuit board 11 and adjacent to the lever 11. As shown
in FIG. 12, when the cleaning element 21 is subject to a sufficiently large load,
the lever 32 rotates clockwise around the lever rotation axis L
3 under the combined action of the load force F
2 on the protrusion of the short lever arm and the spring force F
3 on the long lever arm. The gap between the lever shielding surface 325 and the photosensitive
element 111 gradually decreases, such that the light energy emitted by the light-emitting
element 112 and reaching the photosensitive element 111 through the gap between the
lever shielding surface 325 and the photosensitive element 111 is reduced.
[0031] When the lower drive shaft bearing 34 rotates clockwise around the transverse rotation
axis L
4 of the drive shaft to the lower fixed surface 76 of the lower drive shaft bearing
to contact the lower drive shaft bearing 34 under the action of a moment whose direction
is opposite to the direction of the rotational moment M
1, or under the action of the spring force F
3 formed on the protrusion 324 of the long lever arm, with the point O
1 as the base point, the lower drive shaft bearing 34 is restricted from further rotation.
At this time, the longitudinal axis L
1 of the drive shaft 37 coincides with the longitudinal axis of the upper drive shaft
bearing 33. This state is the initial state of the drive shaft 37. When the cleaning
element 21 is in an unloaded state, the drive shaft 37 is in the initial state.
[0032] In this embodiment, the bending deformation of the left and right side transducer
elastic members 38 is used to respond to the movement of the left and right transducer
permanent magnets 36, 35, such that the elastic system composed of the transducer
3 and the cleaning assembly 2 generates resonance oscillation under the alternating
electromagnetic force from the driving coil 42 to realize the efficient reciprocating
rotation of the cleaning element 21. Obviously, due to the internal clearance of the
upper drive shaft bearing 33, the drive shaft 37 can be inclined relative to the upper
drive shaft bearing 33, and the left and right side transducer transmission arms are
inclined relative to the longitudinal axis of the upper drive shaft bearing 33. The
left and right side transducer elastic members 38 are inclined relative to the longitudinal
axis of the upper drive shaft bearing 33, while the upper drive shaft bearing 33 and
the fixing member 39 of the transducer elastic member are stationary with respect
to the left and right transducer brackets 5, 7. Therefore, the left and right side
transducer elastic members 38 deform with respect to the fixing member 39 of the transducer
elastic member, that is, the load pressure F
1 applied on the cleaning element 21 will cause the left and right side transducer
elastic members 38 to deform. The above deformation is called the elastic member load
deformation. The deformation of the left and right side transducer elastic members
38 driven by the left and right transducer permanent magnets 36, 35 is called the
elastic member driven deformation. The function of the elastic member driven deformation
is to transfer the mechanical energy of the left and right transducer permanent magnets
36, 35 to the cleaning element 21, and the elastic member load deformation does not
help the cleaning element 21 to obtain mechanical energy. Excessive elastic member
load deformation will also aggravate the fatigue and aging of the transducer elastic
member, which causes the transducer elastic member 38 to fatigue and fracture in a
short time, and results in the failure of the electric cleaning care appliance. In
this embodiment, by configuring the upper fixed surface 73 of the lower drive shaft
bearing and the lower fixed surface 76 of the lower drive shaft bearing, the limited
rotation angle of the drive shaft is determined, such that the elastic member load
deformation is effectively controlled, thereby effectively reducing or eliminating
the influence of the elastic member load deformation on the service life of the transducer
3. In addition, in this embodiment, the pressure alarm function is implemented by
effective use of the limited rotation of the lower drive shaft bearing 34 around the
transverse rotation axis L
4 of the drive shaft.
[0033] When an user starts the electric toothbrush, an alternating current with a frequency
of fo passes through the drive coil 42. The left and right transducer permanent magnets
36, 35 rotate reciprocally around the longitudinal axis L
1 of the drive shaft. The left and right transducer permanent magnets 36, 35 drive
the drive shaft 37 to rotate reciprocally around the longitudinal axis L
1 of the drive shaft. The drive shaft 37 drives the cleaning element 21 on the cleaning
assembly 2 to rotate reciprocally around the longitudinal axis L
1 of the drive shaft. When the cleaning element 21 is in an unloaded state, as shown
in FIG. 6, the load force transmitted to the drive shaft 37 is zero. The longitudinal
axis L
1 of the drive shaft coincides with the longitudinal axis of the upper drive shaft
bearing 33. The drive shaft 37 is in the initial state. The spring 31 is in a pre-compressed
state. The pretightening force of the spring 31 pushes the lever 32 to rotate around
the lever rotation axis L
3, such that the protrusion 323 of the short lever arm is pressed against the upper
drive shaft bearing 33, the upper drive shaft bearing 33 is subject to force of the
spring 31 to cling to the lower fixed surface 76 of the lower drive shaft bearing.
The gap between the lever shielding surface 325 on the lever 32 and the photosensitive
element 111 reaches the maximum. The light energy received by the photosensitive element
111 from the light-emitting element 112 reaches the maximum, and the corresponding
electrical parameters, such as resistance value, of the photosensitive element 111
reaches the minimum value. When the user applies a load pressure F
1 on the cleaning element 21, as shown in FIG. 7, the load pressure F
1 applied on the cleaning element 21 is transmitted to the drive shaft 37, and then
to the upper drive shaft bearing 33. The upper drive shaft bearing 33 will transmit
this force to the protrusion 323 of the short lever arm to form a load force F
2 on the protrusion of the short lever arm. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 11, the product
of the load force F
2 undergone on the protrusion 323 of the short lever arm and the length X
1 of the short lever arm is the moment M
2 of the short lever arm (not shown in the figure). The product of the spring force
F
3 on the long lever arm and the length X
2 of the long lever arm is the moment M
3 of the long lever arm (not shown in the figure). When the load pressure F
1 applied on the cleaning element 21 becomes larger and the moment M
2 of the short lever arm is greater than the moment M
3 of the long lever arm, the lever 32 rotates clockwise around the lever rotation axis
L
3, and the bottom plane 326 of the protrusion of the long lever arm pushes the spring
31 to further compress. The longitudinal axis L
1 of the drive shaft is inclined relative to the longitudinal axis of the upper drive
shaft bearing 33. The load pressure F
1 applied on the cleaning element 21 pushes the lower drive shaft bearing 34 away from
the lower fixed surface 76 of the lower drive shaft bearing , such that the lower
drive shaft bearing 34 moves toward the upper fixed surface 73 of the lower drive
shaft bearing. As shown in FIGS. 12 and 11, the gap between the lever shielding surface
325 on the lever 32 and the photosensitive element 111 becomes smaller. The light
energy received by the photosensitive element 111 from the light-emitting element
112 becomes smaller. The corresponding electrical parameters (e.g., resistance value)
of the photosensitive element 111 becomes larger. When the load pressure F
1 applied to the cleaning element 21 becomes further increased, the lower drive shaft
bearing 34 contacts the upper fixed surface 73 of the lower drive shaft bearing, and
the upper fixed surface 73 of the lower drive shaft bearing restricts the lower drive
shaft bearing 34 from further rotating. The load force F
2 on the protrusion of the short lever arm reaches the maximum value, and the moment
M
2 of the short lever arm reaches the maximum value. The gap between the lever shielding
surface 325 on the lever 32 and the photosensitive element 111 reaches the minimum
value. The light energy received by the photosensitive element 111 from the light-emitting
element 112 reaches the minimum value. The corresponding electrical parameters (e.g.,
resistance value) of the photosensitive element 111 reach the maximum value.
[0034] The load pressure F
1 applied on the cleaning element 21 causes the transducer elastic member 38 to form
the elastic member load deformation. The greater the load pressure F
1, the greater the elastic member load deformation. Excessive elastic member load deformation
will aggravate the fatigue and aging of the transducer elastic member 38, which causes
the transducer elastic member 38 to fatigue and fracture in a short time, and thereby
results in the failure of the electric cleaning care appliance. At the same time,
applying excessive load pressure F
1 on the cleaning element 21 will also cause damage to the gums during the process
of cleaning the teeth. In this embodiment, as described above, the drive shaft 37
is fastened with the upper drive shaft bearing 33 and the lower drive shaft bearing
34. The upper drive shaft bearing 33 is fixed in the left and right transducer brackets
5, 7, such that the upper drive shaft bearing 33 cannot move relative to the left
transducer bracket 5 and the right transducer bracket 7. Although the lower drive
shaft bearing 34 is also fixed in the left and right transducer brackets 5, 7, the
lower drive shaft bearing 34 can move limitedly with respect to the left and right
transducer brackets 5, 7. Since the lower drive shaft bearing 34 cannot contact the
upper fixed surface 73 of the lower drive shaft bearing and the lower fixed surface
76 of the lower drive shaft bearing at the same time, the upper fixed surface 73 of
the lower drive shaft bearing and the lower fixed surface 76 of the lower drive shaft
bearing can restrain the lower drive shaft bearing 34 to only perform limited rotation
around the transverse rotation axis L
4 of the drive shaft. When the lower drive shaft bearing 34 contacts the upper fixed
surface 73 of the lower drive shaft bearing, the maximum angle of counterclockwise
rotation of the lower drive shaft bearing 34 and the drive shaft 37 around the transverse
rotation axis L
4 of the drive shaft is formed. The maximum angle is the limited rotation angle of
the drive shaft. As described above, in the present invention, the maximum value of
the limited rotation angle of the drive shaft is 2 degrees, preferably 1.5 degrees,
and more preferably 1 degree.
[0035] The lower drive shaft bearing 34 supports the protrusion 323 of the short lever arm.
The bottom plane 326 of the protrusion of the long lever arm undergoes the pressure
of the spring 31. The left lever rotation shaft 321 and the right lever rotation shaft
322 fit with the lever fixing holes 71 arranged on the left and right transducer brackets
5, 7 to make the lever 32 rotate around the lever rotation axis L
3 only. The load pressure F
1 applied on the cleaning element 21 causes the lower drive shaft bearing 34 to rotate
counterclockwise around the transverse rotation axis L
4 of the drive shaft. The lower drive shaft bearing 34 pushes the protrusion 323 of
the short lever arm, which causes the lever 32 to rotate clockwise around the lever
rotation axis L
3. The gap between the lever shielding surface 325 on the lever 32 and the photosensitive
element 111 changes from large to small. The corresponding electrical parameters (e.g.,
resistance value) of the photosensitive element 111 change from small to large. The
micro-control unit MCU on the circuit board 11 can correspondingly detect the magnitude
of the load pressure F
1 on the cleaning element 21 by detecting changes in the corresponding electrical parameters
(e.g., resistance value) of the photosensitive element 111. When the load pressure
F
1 applied on the cleaning element 21 reaches or exceeds the set threshold, the handle
1 can remind the user, in the manner of sound, light, vibration, etc., that the load
pressure F
1 on the cleaning element 21 is too large, or directly reduce the speed of the electric
toothbrush or stop the electric toothbrush, so as to effectively protect the user's
gums. In the above-mentioned embodiment, by the ratio of the length X
2 of the long lever arm of the lever 32 to the length X
1 of the short lever arm can enlarge the corresponding relationship between the load
pressure F
1 applied on the cleaning element 21 and the displacement of the lower drive shaft
bearing 34, so that the gap between the lever shielding surface 325 on the lever 32
and the photosensitive element 111 has a greater change, and the corresponding electrical
parameters (e.g., resistance value) of the photosensitive element 111 have a larger
change value, thereby greatly increasing the detection accuracy for the load pressure
F
1 on the cleaning element 21. In this embodiment, the ratio of the length X
2 of the long lever arm to the length X
1 of the short lever arm is in the range of 1.5-5, preferably 2-4.
[0036] Obviously, the geometric relationship between the photosensitive element 111 and
the light-emitting element 112 and the lever 32 is not limited to the foregoing embodiment.
In another embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, on the lever 32 is provided a
light shielding protrusion 327, the light shielding protrusion 327 extends from the
lever 32 to the circuit board 11 and is interposed between the photosensitive element
111 and the light-emitting elements 112. The light shielding protrusion 327 can block
the photosensitive element 111 from obtaining light from the light-emitting element
112. The specific analysis is the same as that of the previous embodiment, and will
not be repeated here. Obviously, in the above two embodiments, the positions of the
photosensitive element 111 and the light-emitting element 112 of the circuit board
11 can be interchanged, which can also achieve the objective of the present invention
and achieve the same technical effect.
[0037] In the present invention, on the lever 32 is provided the light shielding surface
325 and/or the light shielding protrusion 327, and on the circuit board is provided
the light-emitting element 112 and the photosensitive element 111. Under the action
of the load pressure F
1 applied on the cleaning element 21, the lower drive shaft bearing 34 on the drive
shaft 37 rotates around the lever rotation axis L
3, and drives the protrusion 323 of the short lever arm to make the lever 32 rotate
around the lever rotation axis L
3. The rotation of the lever 32 causes a change in the distance from the light shielding
surface 325 and/or the light shielding protrusion 327 to the photosensitive element
111 and/or the light-emitting element 112. The light shielding surface 325 and/or
the light shielding protrusion 327 can block the photosensitive element 111 from obtaining
light energy from the light-emitting element 112. The rotation of the lever 32 causes
changes in the electrical parameters (e.g., resistance value) of the photosensitive
element 111. The MCU on the circuit board 11 detects the changes in the electrical
parameters (e.g., resistance value) of the photosensitive element 111, such that the
MCU on the circuit board 11 detects the load pressure F
1 applied to the cleaning element 21. When the load pressure F
1 applied to the cleaning element 21 is equal to or exceeds the set threshold, the
handle 1 is used to alarm the excessive pressure in the manner of sound, light, vibration,
shutdown, etc.
[0038] It is worth emphasizing that although the present invention and the applicant's another
Chinese invention patent application (application publication number
201711125025.4) both use the principle of photosensitive pressure alarm, the present invention is
dedicated to the pressure alarm device of acoustic wave type electric cleaning care
appliances. In the present invention, with the internal clearance of the upper drive
shaft bearing, the drive shaft can be inclined relative to the upper drive shaft bearing.
The left and right side transducer transmission arms are inclined relative to the
longitudinal axis of the upper drive shaft bearing. The left and right side transducer
elastic members are inclined relative to the longitudinal axis of the upper drive
shaft bearing. The upper drive shaft bearing and the fixing member of the transducer
elastic members are stationary relative to the left and right transducer brackets,
so the left and right side transducer elastic members deform relative to the fixing
member of the transducer elastic members, that is, the load pressure F
1 applied on the cleaning element will cause the left and right side transducer elastic
members to undergo elastic member load deformation. The deformation of the left and
right side transducer elastic members driven by the left and right transducer permanent
magnets is called the elastic member driven deformation. By configuring the upper
fixed surface of the lower drive shaft bearing and the lower fixed surface of the
lower drive shaft bearing, the limited rotation angle of the drive shaft is determined,
such that the elastic member load deformation is effectively controlled, thereby effectively
reducing or eliminating the influence of the elastic member load deformation on the
service life of the transducer. Meanwhile, the pressure alarm function is implemented
by effective use of the limited rotation of the lower drive shaft bearing around the
transverse rotation axis L
4 of the drive shaft. Moreover, in the present invention, a lever structure is provided,
the lever is connected to the transducer. and the lever and the drive coil assembly
are in a non-contact relationship, which not only effectively utilizes the limited
rotation of the lower drive shaft bearing around the transverse rotation axis L
4 of the drive shaft to implement the pressure alarm function, but also adopts the
lever amplifying displacement structure, which greatly improves the detection accuracy
for the load pressure F
1 on the cleaning element, thereby increasing the sensitivity of the pressure alarm
device.
[0039] In the invention patent application with publication number
201711125025.4, the light source and the photosensitive unit are respectively provided on a movable
component movable relative to the handle housing or a stationary component which does
not move relative to the handle housing and on a same side, and the light reflecting
surface is provided on a stationary component or a movable component facing the side
on which the light source and the photosensitive unit are provided and roughly directly
faces the light source and the photosensitive unit. Under the combined action of an
external force F
1 which is applied to the cleaning element and of which the direction is approximately
along or parallel to an axis along the length direction of the cleaning element and
an elastic-member elastic force F
2 which resists the external force F
1 and is generated by an elastic member built into a handle, the light reflecting surface
or the light source and the photosensitive unit provided on the movable component
movable relative to the handle housing move with the movable component, and the incident
angle and the reflection angle of the light emitted by the light source on the light
reflecting surface change, causing that the light receiving area of the photosensitive
unit which can receive the light from the light source changes, and in turn resulting
in change of the electrical performance of the photosensitive unit. Comparing the
two patent applications, it can be known that they have different structures and different
technical solutions. Although FIGS. 13-15 of the application
201711125025.4 show the case where the technical solutions disclosed by this application are used
for the acoustic wave type electric cleaning care appliances, the technical solutions
of this application are more suitable for the type of the electric cleaning care appliances
in which driving components include the micro-motor, and the cleaning element and
the cleaning element carrier perform reciprocating linear motion or reciprocating
rotation motion, because the DC micro-motor can produce large displacement in response
to the load force on the cleaning element, and the overall movement of the DC micro-motor
does not affect the power output of the motor. For the acoustic wave type electric
cleaning care appliances, the transducer cannot produce a large displacement under
the action of the load force on the cleaning element, otherwise the service life of
the transducer will be greatly shortened.